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Saturday, 21 July 2012

Poetry Saturday . . . Bread and Honey

Of all the meals you can buy for money,Give me a meal of bread and honey!A table of grass in the open air,A green bank for an easy-chair,The table-cloth inwrought with flowers,And a grasshopper clock to tick the hours.

And when the merry meal is done,To loiter westward with the sun,Dipping fingers ere we goIn the stream that runs below.Of all the meals you can buy for money,Give me a meal of bread and honey.~Richard le Gallienne

ohhhhh . . . the sun is shining gloriously today!! Can it be that summer is finally here??? I don't know, but I sure hope so. Good weather has been promised for the weekend and the schools have finally broken up, so here's hoping!

We finally resorted this past week to putting little bowls of beer in the garden, placed here and there to catch the slugs . . . yesterday we caught 20 just by the tubs of herbs that I have growing there . . . and I found another one midst it's travels on the side of one of those same tubs. This would explain why one whole trough is almost leafless at this point . . . they seem to love parsley, lemon balm and tarragon . . . so very annoying . . . the mint however, is leafing profusely! I have slugs with very eclectic tastes it would seem!

I wanted to thank you all for your comments re Eileen's wedding pictures that I shared with you. Some of them touched my heart deeply . . . I can remember the day that my ex and I sat in a Doctor's office and listened as they told us our beautiful daughter was not "normal." It was the most devastating news that anyone could ever hear . . . and we spent the next few months grieving . . . truly grieving. My heart broke in a way that I cannot ever truly find the words to explain . . . and we did go through the same process that a parent goes through when one loses a child forever . . . but then one day as I sat in my bedroom crying silently to myself, the thought came into my mind . . . "Why are you crying, you selfish woman . . . your daughter is not gone, she has not changed. She is the same daughter that she always was, but now you have the means and the knowledge to help her achieve what she is meant to achieve." That marked a turning point in our lives. Of course we had no idea of just what she would achieve . . . but our hope was returned to us, and the years that followed cannot be explained in any other way, except to use the words miraculous and inspiring.

I can remember a day in the car when I was driving the girls home from a church activity and I noticed that Eileen was crying in the back seat. I asked her what was wrong . . . and she said . . . "I wish that I was normal like Amanda is. I wish that I could do the things that she can do." My heart ached for her in that moment . . . and, in truth, I cannot remember what my response was . . . but part of the joy that I felt on that special day just two weeks ago was due to the happiness on my daughter's face as she was finally able to enjoy all the blessings that we are given here on earth when we are joined to our special loves within the bonds of marriage . . . there is a special love for everyone, and a special joy to be found. Never say never . . . the words "can't" and "won't" should be thrown away.

We all have potential . . . for we are all special spirits, children of a Heavenly King, and there is no end to just what we are capable of . . . even within the bounds of what might be considered to be a handicap to some. What is "normal?" I am glad that I am living in an age when all are encouraged to reach their full potential and are given opportunities to do just that. An age when we can celebrate the differences in each other . . . to embrace the miraculous . . . to find joy in living outside of the "box."

Several years ago I attended a bowling banquet which was given at the end of the bowling season for all the young adults in the "special olympics" program back home. We had a fabulous time with these very special individuals. There was so much joy in that room, so much hope, so much . . . so much . . . love. Pure and unadulterated love. And acceptance. As we left, a young man with Down's Syndrome was helping to direct the traffic out of the parking lot. He had his police badge that he was showing to each car and he was doing a fab job of it . . . and he was bringing a smile to the face of everyone involved and a special glow into our hearts.

We are not all the same. Some of us are tall. Some of us are short. Some walk with a limp . . . others not at all. Some of us have brains which are capable of doing great things . . . and yet we don't. Some of us are given very little . . . and yet we make the most with what we are given. That is called success.

My heart breaks for those who will never think outside of the box . . . who will never open their hearts to all that these "special" individuals that live amongst us have to share . . . or even give them a chance to show us just what they "can" do.

Today I celebrate the differences in us that make us "normal." Because . . . we are not all alike. We IS beautiful. We IS special. We IS loved.